This 4G LTE Mobile Hotspot Rewards You For Sharing Your WiFi

Way back in 2012, I wrote about the Karma hotspot—a puck-shaped mobile hotspot that came with a novel idea: The more you shared your connection with other users, the more free data you got. The idea was that, if enough people played along, the company could theoretically blanket a good chunk of the country with hotspots that its customers could use.

The product was interesting (and offered extremely competitive pricing, even without the share-for-free-data incentive), but it wasn't an every-inch-of-the-globe-covered success. Part of the problem was that the hardware itself wasn't quite bleeding edge enough for speed-hungry users (it relied on Sprint's sometimes-spotty WiMax network). The other problem: A lot of smartphones have mobile hotspot functionality built right in (though it'll cost you extra). With the new Karma Go update, the company hopes to compete in this highly competitive landscape: The new $99 device finally features LTE speeds and coverage (6-8 Mb/s download, 2-3 Mb/s upload), putting it on par with the fastest WiFi hotspots. It also offers pricing plans that should make it appealing to users who are dissuaded from using their phone's often-pricey built-in mobile hotspot feature.

The Karma Go hotspot piggybacks off of Sprint's 4G LTE network, supports up to eight simultaneous users, and still offers the trademark perk of incentivizing sharing with free data (both hotspot owners and leachers get 100 megabytes of free data when the sharing occurs). Beyond that, data costs begin at $9.90 per gigabyte. That's decent enough, but the fact that data can be bought a la carte (no monthly contract or commitments required) and doesn't expire should make it particularly compelling for occasional travelers who only need on-the-go WiFi for short bursts (a use case that monthly contracts simply don't work for).

The hardware itself is also quite elegant—maybe one of the best-looking models on the market. The puck shape is standard, but it sports a minimal white design with a single logo on it (it's somewhat reminiscent of early iPod-era Apple products), and at 2.59 inches-square and under a half-inch thick, is small enough to not be a burden for travelers, and to largely negate the fact that you are still carrying a separate gadget for this single purpose. The battery life is listed at 220 hours for standby, and 5 hours of use.

Overall, the Karma Go offers a compelling entry into a field that was fighting for a reason to exist. For some users—even those with mobile hotspot-enabled hotspots—the device offers plenty of reasons to hop on board. And the price is beyond right. The product is accepting preorders now, and is scheduled to ship to customers in December.